Vogue Editors Share Their Favorite Fashion Shows of the Year

We’ve tallied the most viewed and the best reviewed collections of the year, but there’s no metric that accounts for the punch to the gut that is love. Sometimes a collection can move you in an instinctual way, like the pull of Paco Rabanne’s bohemian separates; other times it’s a revelation that’s a long time coming, like Pierpaolo Piccioli’s very good year at Valentino. Sometimes the set is transportive, other times a show lines up so perfectly with cultural events that it becomes instantly iconic, as was the case at Rick Owens’s Spring 2019 burn-it-all-down “Babel” show in Paris.

Here, 11 Vogue editors reflect on the fashion shows that left a mark on them this year.

Comme des Garçons Spring 2019

Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigital.tv

“I have never seen a more searingly accurate image of internalized female psychological conditioning than in looks 12 and 13 from Rei Kawakubo’s Spring show. They had heavy chains strapped beneath their second-skin dresses, shackles spilling from their hems and sleeves, clanking as they walked. On their shoulders were lopped-off tailored jackets, as if somehow their flesh had been flayed, or peeled back to illustrate exactly what it is to carry binding limitations within your own anatomy: Can’t do this, shouldn’t do that, shut up, put up, and carry on.” — Sarah Mower, Chief Critic

Valentino Fall 2018 Couture

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv

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“The summer couture from Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino was magical, directional, and just so smart. I have such respect for Piccioli’s sense of color, craft, narrative, and just sheer ambition for the haute couture and the customer. So this isn’t really about the show as performance; this commendation is about the clothes.” — Sally Singer, Digital Creative Director

Rick Owens Spring 2019

Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigital.tv

“It’s always Rick Owens. With its burning pyre and warrior women carrying torches, his Spring 2019 show was about as impactful as fashion shows come—made all the more so by the hazing ritual slash ‘witch hunt’ Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was simultaneously experiencing in Washington, D.C., during her testimony against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.” — Nicole Phelps, Vogue Runway Director

Balenciaga Spring 2019 and Vetements Spring 2019

Photo: Monica Feudi / Indigital.tv

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“It’s two, by the same designer—Demna Gvasalia—at two different labels, Vetements and Balenciaga. The former was held in July by the Paris Périphérique with Georgian wedding tables becoming the runway; the latter at the sensory overload of a show held in a screen tunnel constructed at Luc Besson’s film studio. The collections themselves were absolutely terrific, but more than just the great clothes, I don’t think any designer has made me feel so hardwired into the world—elation, shock, beauty, horror; all of it—since I saw some of Alexander McQueen’s early shows in London in the ’90s. You want to look—and you want to look away, but you can’t, and shouldn’t, because Gvasalia certainly doesn’t.” — Mark Holgate, Fashion News Director

Ralph Lauren Fall 2018 and Victoria Beckham Spring 2019

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv

“This was an epic year on the runway but there are two shows that I will always cherish. The first is Ralph Lauren’s grand 50th anniversary collection in Central Park. Only Ralph could bring Hillary Clinton, Oprah, and Kanye together in the most refined setup that I’ve ever seen. However, going to London for Victoria Beckham’s 10th anniversary show was one of the most special moments. Her growth and development as a designer is inspirational and she continues to champion the new look of modern minimalism.” — Edward Barsamian, Style Editor

Valentino Resort 2019

Photo: Courtesy of Valentino

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“This has been such a killer year for Valentino. I die, et cetera, for all the past year’s collections, but for some reason Pierpaolo Piccioli’s logo-manic Resort outing really did it for me. It was just so youthful and witty, and reconnected to that Valentino era in the late ’70s and early ’80s when the maestro was known not just for his gowns but for making daywear that was streetwise and bold.” — Maya Singer, Vogue Contributor

Paco Rabanne Spring 2019

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv

“Paco Rabanne’s Spring 2019 collection. I loved everything from the textures to the prints in this collection. The layering and mix of unexpected pieces styled with timeless classics inspired me to reinvent the clothing I already have in my closet. I am allowing myself one big Spring splurge in the new year and it most definitely will be a piece from Paco!” — Grace Givens, Market Editor

Rick Owens Spring 2019 Menswear

Photo: Luca Tombolini / Indigital.tv

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“Rick Owens is a seer and this collection seemed like a very clear vision in a very unclear time. Aggressively pretty clothes were worn in a fume flecked background that prefigured the gilet jaunes Parisian chaos of the last few months. It was a show you walked away from thinking about way more than garments.” — Luke Leitch, Vogue Contributor

Dries Van Noten Spring 2019

Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigital.tv

“Few things can be both transportive and essential. This Dries Van Noten collection managed to fulfill a fantasy and address a reality with its clothes, sparkly and pretty and utilitarian and glamorous. Because Dries operates outside trends, these clothes are also peerless. You couldn’t find a substitute on another runway or at another store if you tried. That’s so rare—too rare, probably—in today’s fashion world, and so for the zillionth year in a row, I thank heavens for Dries.” — Steff Yotka, Fashion News & Emerging Platforms Editor

Coach 1941 Pre-Fall 2019

Photo: Isidore Montag / Courtesy of Coach

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“Coach 1941’s Pre-Fall show in Shanghai is technically the last fashion show I went to—it was three weeks ago—but it was also my favorite of the year. The clothes were great, and Stuart Vevers was really thoughtful in the way he bridged New York and China. He opened the show with two local models and collaborated with four Chinese contemporary artists on pieces in the collection (Yeti Out’s smiley face bag will be highly coveted next year!). The show itself was just really fun, too—there was an incredible set (built to look like a New York street), groovy music, and overall good vibes. After the finale, a massive disco ball dropped from the ceiling and about 10 food carts were rolled out for the after-party. How often does a fashion show end with hot pretzels and tequila?” — Emily Farra, Senior Fashion News Writer

Marine Serre Spring 2019

Photo: Courtesy of Marine Serre

“By far my favorite show if the year was Marine Serre’s ‘Hardcore Couture’ show for Spring 2019. She is such a shining young talent not only because of her skill and vision, but also because she understands the importance of dressing real women for everyday life and doing so with upcycled materials. Her clothes feel special and progressive in a way that hasn’t gotten me this excited about a collection and the future of a label in a long time.” — Brooke Bobb, Senior Fashion News Writer